Planners in Sandwich OK 800 new homes

SANDWICH - The city's plan commission on Tuesday voted unanimously in favor of an approximately 800-home subdivision proposed for 360 acres north of Sandwich. The Deer Path Woods plan by Far West Properties now moves to the city council for its review. The council will make the final decision on the project, which would be located north of the Sandwich Sportsman's Club and east of Somonauk Creek. Current plans by Far West Properties call for 410 single-family homes and 390 townhome units on 360 acres. There also will be some 138 acres of open space in the development. The site plan also includes wooded pathways, a swimming pool, tennis courts and a 6-acre clubhouse area. According to Far West Properties LLC representative Scott Krill, revised data for the Deer Path Woods subdivision are consistent with figures released previously that appeared to indicate there would be about 600 units in the project. Krill said market conditions will play a role in determining whether some lots marked for single-family units on the current plat may be changed to duplex units or townhomes. &#8220We've made the lots similar sizes so that you can go back and forth between different product types,” he said. According to Krill, the average density of Deer Path Woods is about half of what local zoning laws allow. While Krill emphasized that the large open spaces would be ideal for &#8220ballgames and kite-flying,” he readily acknowledged they came with a downside. &#8220This subdivision will have a pretty expensive homeowner's association (fee),” Krill said. &#8220Someone's got to maintain all this grass, and all these the paths, and this clubhouse, and the pool and tennis courts. That all costs money.” Plan commission Chairman Bill Beverly addressed the specter of rising homeowner's association costs. &#8220I don't know what the city can do, if anything,” he said. &#8220I see an established fee as a self-regulating exercise. At the front end, they don't need much, but by the time it's full, they are going to need a lot more. Hopefully, the market will only bear so much on top of a purchase price.” Krill said the subdivision's boundary lines could be marked off with fencing to protect nearby properties.